Chapter 3 (module 6+7+8) Flashcards by Kohana Wright

A particular location on earth with interacting biotic and abiotic components.

ecosystem

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everything thats living

biotic

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non living

Abiotic

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The region of our planet where life resides; the combination of all ecosystems on earth.

Biosphere

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An organism that uses the energy of the sun to produce usable forms of energy.
- also call Autotroph
-only ones that can create their own food

Producer

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The process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose

photosynthesis

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The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds.

Cellular respiration (breathing)

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The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water.
(the use of o2)

Aerobic respiration

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the process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen.
(not using o2)

Anaerobic respiration

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Organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain it’s energy by consuming other organisms.
- also known as heterotroph

Consumer

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A consumer that eats producers.
- also known as primary consumer

Herbivore

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A consumer that eats other consumers

Carnivore

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carnivore that eats primary consumers

Secondary consumer

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A carnivore that eats secondary consumers.

Tertiary consumer

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The successive levels of organisms consuming one another.
(who eats who)

Trophic levels

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the sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumer.

food chain

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A complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels

Food web

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An event, caused by physical, chemical(nuclear bomb/plantations), or biological agents(pandemic,diseases), resulting in changes in population or composition.

Disturbance

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A measure of how much a disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem.

resistance

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The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance.

resilience

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The study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystems.

Restoration ecology

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All land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland.

Watershed

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The hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels.

Intermediate disturbance hypothesis

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An organism that consumes dead animals

Scavenger

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An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles.

Detritivore

Fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem.

decomposers

The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time. (1% of solar energy)

gross primary productivity (GPP)

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire. (What’s left for the rest of the food web)

net primary productivity (NPP)

What percentage of solar energy do producers capture via photosynthesis

1 percent

What percentage of GPP is used for respiration?

60 percent

The total mass of all living matter in a specific area.

biomass

The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time.

standing crop

The proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another.

ecological efficiency

A representation of of the distribution of biomass numbers, or energy among trophic levels.

Trophic pyramid

The movements of matter within and between ecosystems.

Biogeochemical cycle

The movement of water through the biosphere.

Hydrologic cycle

The release of water from leaves during photosynthesis. (plants “sweating”)

Transpiration

The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration.

Evapotranspiration

Water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers.

runoff

The movement of carbon around the biosphere(oil, gas, diamond…)

Carbon cycle

One of six key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts

Macronutrient

What are the 6 macronutrient?

nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.

A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients.

Limiting nutrient

The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere.

Nitrogen cycle

A process by which some organisms can convert nitrogen gas molecules directly into ammonia.

Nitrogen fixation

The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time.

standing crop

The proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another.

ecological efficiency

A representation of the distribution of biomass numbers, or energy among trophic levels.

trophic pyramid

The movements of matter within and between ecosystems.

Biogeochemical cycle

The movement of water through the biosphere.

Hydrologic cycle

The release of water from leaves during photosynthesis. (plants “sweating”)

Transpiration

The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration.

Evapotranspiration

Water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers.

Runoff

The movement of carbon around the biosphere(oil, gas, diamond…)

Carbon cycle

One of six key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts

Macronutrient

What are the 6 elements that are macronutrients?

Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.

A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients.

limiting nutrient

The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere.

Nitrogen cycle

A process by which some organisms can convert nitrogen gas molecules directly into ammonia.

Nitrogen fixation

The conversion of ammonia (NH4+) into nitrite (NO2– ) and then into nitrate (NO3– ).

Nitrification

The process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues.

Assimilation

The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compounds.

Mineralization

The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium

Ammonification

The conversion of nitrate in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide and, eventually, nitrogen gas , which is emitted into the atmosphere.

Denitrification

The transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater.

leaching

The movement of phosphorus around the biosphere. phosphorus is important to humans because we use it in fertilizer

Phosphorus cycle

A rapid increase in the algal population of a waterway (often from too much phosphorus in waterways).

algal bloom

low level of oxygen “suffocating"

Hypoxic

the movement of sulfur around the biosphere -found in sediments and factory -found in the fumes of volcanoes

Sulfur cycle